Has Long Has it Been Since We Bashed Ted Cruz? Well that’s too Long!

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Actually this time we will let John McCain do the bashing for us.  On the peripatetic campaign trail, Sen. Cruz claimed that  he had been “pressing” Sen. McCain to hold hearings on gun restrictions on military bases.  McCain responded that Cruz had never mentioned anything about it to him, and then seized the opportunity to make Cruz look foolish – not that difficult a task it seems – but always worth the effort.  The Daily Kos reports on McCain’s take on Cruz’s credibility.

 “I was fascinated to hear that because I haven’t heard a thing about it from him. Nor has my staff heard from his staff,” McCain said of Cruz (R-Texas). “It came as a complete surprise to me that he had been pressing me. Maybe it was some medium that I’m not familiar with.” […]

McCain went to great lengths to ridicule Cruz for suggesting the two had discussed the issue. He joked that perhaps Cruz was bouncing messages off the “ozone layer.”

“Maybe it was through, you know, hand telegraph. Maybe sign language,” McCain said. “Ask him how he communicated with me because I’d be very interested. Because who knows what I’m missing.”

Ted, Ted, Ted. You just don’t piss off crotchety old SOB’s like McCain without expecting some retribution.  But McCain outdid himself with this one.  It takes a special kind of enmity to break out the ridicule stick and smack you around like this with it.  And in Ted’s case it is no doubt well-deserved and keeps him firmly entrenched as the senator most hated by his colleagues.

Finally Some Good News from Falling Oil and Gas Prices

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Scientists claim to have established that the spike in earthquakes in the DFW area can be traced to saltwater injection – a byproduct of drilling and fracking operations.  The Associated Press reports that a study has linked the small earthquakes occurring west of Fort Worth to nearby natural gas wells and wastewater injection.

And the good news?  With reduced fracking activity and the resulting injection of wastewater, it is predicted that there will be fewer earthquakes.

In 84 days from November 2013 to January 2014, the area around Azle, Texas, shook with 27 magnitude 2 or greater earthquakes, while scientists at Southern Methodist University and the U.S. Geological Survey monitored the shaking. It’s an area that had no recorded quakes for 150 years on faults that “have been inactive for hundreds of millions of years,” said SMU geophysicist Matthew Hornbach.

When the volume of injections decreased significantly, so did the shaking.

The scientists concluded that removing saltwater from the wells in the gas production process and then injecting that wastewater back underground “represent the most likely cause” for the swarm of quakes, according to a study published Tuesday in the journal Nature Communications.

The scientists determined this based on where and when the earthquakes happened; computer models that track pressure changes; and company data from nearby wells. Hornbach said the timing and location of the quakes correlates better to the drilling and injection than any other possible reason.

“There appears to be little doubt about the conclusion that the earthquakes were in fact induced,” USGS seismologist Susan Hough, who wasn’t part of the study team, said in an email. “There’s almost an abundance of smoking guns in this case.”

Was Rick Perry’s Texas Miracle Based on Anything Other than High Oil Prices?

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Rick Perry may no longer be able to point to the so-called Texas Miracle if he decides to run for President.  It turns out that the miracle may have been nothing more than the result of an oil boom that boosted the entire State’s economy and had nothing to do with Perry’s misguided policies.  The Wall Street Journal reports that Texas continues to lose jobs in the wake of falling oil prices.  JP Morgan Chase economist Michael Feroli had reported in 2014 in that Texas’s economy was in for serious problems  based on his analysis of the effect of rapidly declining oil prices.  Richard Fisher who was then President of the Dallas Federal Reserve Bank likened Feroli’s report to “bull shit.”  But Feroli may be getting the last laugh at Texas’ and Rick Perry’s expense.

Mr. Fisher, who has since retired as Dallas Fed president, argued Texas was no longer tied to the fate of the oil industry. He said the Lone Star State had diversified itself considerably and could withstand the big drop in oil prices and continue to be an engine of growth for the nation.

In a new report, Mr. Feroli was back to say he was right, and Mr. Fisher was wrong. “The only thing dropping in the Texas economy lately is the number of jobs,” he said in a report. The economist said Texas is now seeing the sort of job losses that would normally occur only in a recession.

Mr. Feroli pointed to a report from the Texas Workforce Commission showing the state lost 25,400 jobs in March. He said a proportional loss on the national scale would be if the U.S. lost 304,000 jobs – a recession-like outcome not seen in some time.

Anyone in this state with half a brain (and that would not include most of our politicians) knew that high oil prices were boosting the economy in ways that would not be sustained at say $50 a barrel.  You don’t see 20 new hotels on the loop around Victoria during regular times.  And you don’t pay $269 a night to stay at a Holiday Inn Express in San Angelo just to eat at the Cork and  Pig Tavern.   When Schlumberger and Halliburton are laying off tens of thousands of workers, the ripple effects are just beginning to be felt.  The Texas Miracle was always a bunch of hooey.  Texas leads the nation or is near the top in all the negative categories such as children living in poverty, overall poverty rates, citizens on food stamps, high school dropouts, numbers of uninsured and many other things.  Texas Miracle indeed! Rick Perry can go around the nation touting his right wing, anti-consumer, corporate giveaway nonsense all he wants – but nobody is likely to be listening now.

Blue Bell Expands Recall to All Products

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Texas iconic ice cream maker Blue Bell has recalled all of its products after discovering Listeria in yet another product.  The Brenham-based company had already recalled all products from its Broken Arrow, Oklahoma plant, but now is stripping the shelves of all of its products.  The Dallas Morning News reports that the recall sent grocers scrambling to remove the delicious treats before customers could purchase more.  The recall raises questions about what could have been done to prevent the outbreak.

Kroger spokesman Gary Huddleston said Blue Bell notified the grocer about the recall shortly before 5 p.m. Monday.

“We’ve pulled everything, and now we wait for Blue Bell to tell us what to do with it,” he said. The grocer is calling all its customers who purchased Blue Bell products, asking them to bring the items back to the store for a refund.

The company faces the prospect of trying to get its production on track by Memorial Day, when the peak season for ice cream sales begins. “They say they’re making this right, before then,” Huddleston said.

Food safety attorney Bill Marler said he was “not particularly surprised” by the announcement.

Once tests show Listeria is in a finished product it is likely it is in the manufacturing facility, which is tough to combat, he said.

“Now that it’s expanded, it shows that Listeria is endemic in their plants,” he said.

“What is sad about the Blue Bell situation, had it had more thorough testing of product and more thorough cleaning of its plant and equipment beforehand, an outbreak could have been avoided. The devastation to Blue Bell’s customers and its reputation could have been avoided,” he said.

Image from cookingforengineers.com

Today in Texas History – April 21

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From the Annals of the Confederacy – In 1928, Felix Huston Robertson died in Waco. Robertson was the only Texas native general in the Confederate Army.  Robertson who was born at  Washington-on-the-Brazos was appointed a brigadier general in 1864.  He was reported to be a cruel and harsh commander.  He was known as Commanche Robertson for the savage nature of his punishments and his Indian-like visage.  He was involved in one of the more controversial incidents of the Civil War.  On October 3, 1864 in Saltville, Virginia, troops under Robertson’s command killed well over 100 wounded, mostly black survivors of a Union attack.  Robertson was implicated but never charged with any crime.  It was left to a subordinate officer to take the blame and he was hanged for murder after the war.  Robertson was severely wounded shortly after his promotion and never returned to field duty. Robertson returned to Texas, where he became an attorney, real estate speculator, and enthusiastic member of the United Confederate Veterans. At the time of his death he was the last surviving general of the Confederacy.

MLB Debuts Statcast Era of Baseball

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Red wonders how much information is too much.  Major League Baseball will have additional opportunities to evaluate that age old question when it debuts Statcast tonight on MLB Network’s broadcast of the Cardinals/Nationals game.  Statcast has actually been around for a while and was used during the All-Star game and in the playoffs last season.  But tonight’s game will be the first regular season game where every play will be tracked in some form or fashion.

What is Statcast?

Statcast, a state-of-the-art tracking technology, is capable of gathering and displaying previously immeasurable aspects of the game. Statcast collects the data using a series of high-resolution optical cameras along with radar equipment that has been installed in all 30 Major League ballparks. The technology precisely tracks the location and movements of the ball and every player on the field at any given time.

In other words, every movement of every player and the bat and the ball can be tracked and analyzed.  So if you desperately want to know how many times Johnny Cueto scratches his crotch in a seven inning appearance – Statcast is for you.    With high resolution digital cameras, laser positioning equipment and highly accurate GPS, this development has been inevitable and will likely migrate to other sports in the near future.  For example, at the 2014 World Cup, they could tell us exactly how far every player had run during a match.

NBA Playoffs

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Some argue that football is the only sport noticed in Texas.  But only Texas has 3 teams in the NBA Playoffs this season.  And of states with multiple franchises, only Texas has all of its teams in the NBA Playoffs.  Of course, only California, Texas, New York and Florida have multiple teams.

Packing Heat

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PBS News reports that Texas is on the verge of passing an open carry law that will allow Texans to pack heat in public.

On Friday, the Texas House of Representatives voted 96-35 in favor of House Bill 910, which extends the rights of citizens who have a concealed handgun license to allow them to openly carry a holstered handgun. A similar bill passed the Texas Senate last month; the two versions must be reconciled before heading to Republican Gov. Greg Abbott for signing.

Abbot is likely to give the measure his approval. During a February press conference, he said, “I will sign whatever legislation reaches my desk that expands Second Amendment rights in Texas.

Red favors sporting a Smith & Wesson 357 Magnum in a custom leather holster worn Matt Dillon style on the right thigh.  Red also favors telling anyone foolish enough to walk around with a pistol openly strapped on to any appendage that they must be suffering from a deep inadequacy complex that packing heat probably isn’t going to cure.

Today in Texas History – April 20

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From the Annals of Secret Nuptials –  In 1952, J. P. Richardson, Jr., known as “The Big Bopper,” married Adrianne “Teetsie” Fryou.  Richardson was a Beaumont deejay, singer and songwriter.  He scored his biggest hit with “Chantilly Lace” in 1958, but also wrote hits such as “White Lightning” and  “Running Bear.”  The Big Bopper was an impressive showman who performed in colorful zoot suits and had a larger than life stage presence.  However, he kept his marriage secret to promote his flamboyant image with his fans. The Big Bopper recorded 21 of his own songs -mostly novelty records.  Sadly, he may be most famous for having met his demise in the same plane crash as Buddy Holly and Richie Valens in 1959.  Richardson supposedly got his place on the plane because he was suffering from the flu and did not want to spend all night riding on the tour bus.